A Reading Selection for Thoughtful Californians on Earth Day–From Articles to the Original Sources:
Here are a few items you might not otherwise see today. This is not an exhaustive list, but are some recent items I have found that relate to California and the environment.
States are, fortunately, acting in absence of Bush leadership By Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. (April 21, 2006)
It’s Earth Day—Great overview and talking points. American Progress Action Fund (April 21, 2006)
States are using a variety of innovative approaches to support the market for solar energy in new homes To date, the greatest number of PV installations on new homes are in California. The study also finds that solar deployment may be most successful if builders commit to installing PV as a standard feature throughout new subdivisions. Supporting Photovoltaics in Market-Rate Residential New Construction: A Summary of Programmatic Experience to Date and Lessons Learned By Galen Barbose, and others, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (March 1, 2006)
San Joaquin Valley residents effectively are paying an average of $1,000 a year just to breathe. That’s the cost of shortened life spans, hospitalizations, job absences and other economic and health effects of the region’s chronically poor air quality, according to study. The agricultural valley hosts some of the most persistently dirty air in the country, rivaling Los Angeles and Houston. Dairies, cattle ranches and farms rank as major polluters. The Health and Related Economic Benefits of Attaining Healthful Air in the San Joaquin Valley. By Jane V. Hall, Institute for Economic and Environmental Studies, California State University, Fullerton, and others.(March 2006)
In a report on how to combat global warming, Governor Schwarzenegger’s top environmental advisors recommend that the state require power plant operators and other heavy industries to report the amount of greenhouse gas they emit.
Report. 107 p.
Executive Summary. 16 p.
A federal advisory panel recommended a dramatic cutback in the West Coast’s commercial salmon season, stopping just short of an unprecedented ban that threatened to swamp the beleaguered fishing industry. Under the restrictions, commercial fleets would be forced to limp along with far fewer days than last year, which fishermen considered among the most restrictive in memory. Press Release 3 p.
Klamath Salmon Issues. 5 p.